New Mommy on the Block | Guide for packing the Maternity Hospital Bag | Maternity Essentials

Hello everyone! Getting back to the Blogosphere after almost two months since my last post, and trust me when I say, “it feels great to be back on the floor“.

To begin with, I started my family a month ago with our daughter tiptoeing into our world. She is six weeks old now.  The last few weeks has been a roller coaster ride, but nevertheless we are very grateful to Almighty that we are sailing through the days. Hospitalisation, a planned C-Section, trying to figure out the newborn’s routine, taking care of thyself and the baby, and last but not the least, taking good care of the Baby’s Daddy as well (did you know, men too suffer from post-partum blues!) With zero house help, both me and my husband are taking each day at a time and figuring out ways to make our life simpler! Add to it, tons of judgmental comments and unsolicited advice from people who will always find their ways to tell you what to do, what not to do, and how YOU are going wrong at each step. But yes, I tried and avoided such conversations as much as I could, to keep my sanity intact!

If you ask me, right now, I have tons of Blog Post topics to cover – My journey of delivering the Baby, must haves in the hospital bag, must haves for new parents to take care of infants (things that will make their life simpler and things I wish I was told earlier!), and so on. Hopefully I can cover them all one by one. Being a new mom, I feel that I am constantly pressed for time (this blog post alone took two weeks to complete with several interruptions in between). Surely, life is not the same as it used to be anymore, however, it is full of happiness and her smile takes away all my stress at the end of the day. 

Starting with the MUST HAVES in your HOSPITAL BAG with this post (since few expecting women approached me on Instagram to post on this). Remember to pack your hospital bag well in advance (I packed mine at Week 34 of my pregnancy) to avoid any kind of last minute rushes and anxiety.

My hospital took care of most of my needs and all of my baby’s needs. Hence, I was advised to get admitted with very few must haves which are being listed hereunder:

• Medical Reports (Carry all your prescriptions and reports in a file along with the USG scan plates). Please ensure that your medical records are up to date.
• Photo copy of your Aadhar Card (To be taken by the hospital at the time of admission)
• Medical Insurance Papers (if required)
• Medicines 
• Mobile with Charger (MUST HAVE, since visitors are disallowed during Covid and this is the only way to keep in touch with your family)
• Power Bank (Yes the charging point in my room was far away, hence the power bank was a boon)
• Bathroom Slippers (Good grip ones so that you do not slip)
• Towel (one for your face and another for bath)
• Maternity Bra – atleast 2-3 in numbers (I bought Enamor MT02 Sectioned Lift & Support Nursing Bra – Non-Padded, Wirefree & High Coverage from Amazon). Do remember to size up from what you have been using.
• Nursing Breast Pads (I bought Mee Mee Ultra Thin Super Absorbent Disposable Nursing Breast Pads 40+8 Pads Free (48 Pads) from Amazon)
• Face Mask (I carried 10 disposable face masks)
• Hand Sanitiser 
• Wet Wipes
• Comb
• Hair Ties (carry multiple ones)
• Small pocket mirror
• Toothbrush – Toothpaste
• Boroline/Vaseline (for chapped lips or otherwise)
• Any cream/lotion which you use
• Body Wash/Face Wash
• Sanitary Napkins (Although first few days Doctors will insist you use the ones provided by the hospital, so that the stitches heal). Later on you can use your normal sanitary pads.
• Period Panties – This made my life so so easy as I did not have to change pads after Day Four at the hospital. I bought EverEve Ultra Absorbent Disposable Period Panties For Sanitary Protection from Amazon
• Normal underwear (atleast 3-4, preferably old ones that can be discarded after use)
• A dress that has front open buttons that will be used while you travel back to home (for easy nursing)

Apart from the above, I also packed in a couple of things (that I did not need at the hospital), like a pair of socks, a light shawl (since I was aware that I might shiver after delivery). You may also want to include biscuits or dry fruits for snacking (but I was aware that my hospital does not allow food). Also a water bottle (the one in which the hospital served water was a jug and a glass, the jug did not look very clean to me). And a headphone (in case you want to listen to some music/podcast when idle).

I packed the essentials in separate pouches to avoid any confusion. Medicines were packed in a pouch, while the toiletries were in another. The garments came in another storage pouch. This made sorting much simpler when I was looking for my things.

These were my hospital bag essentials. The hospital provided everything for the baby such as new born diapers, dress, swaddle and cap till the time the baby was kept in the nursery until we came back home. Once we were back from the hospital, we started using what we had bought for the baby.

I hope expectant mothers find this useful while packing their hospital bags. Do let me know if your hospital bag essentials had any add-ons to the list that I suggested.

Ending the post on this note. Do let me know what other topics would you like me to cover in the “Pregnancy Diaries Series“. Until then, stay safe everyone.